1. Field of the Invention
A two-piece bucket stabilizing apparatus for use with cylindrical joint compound buckets or the like during the mixing of the contents thereof includes a horizontal base member containing an opening for receiving the bottom of the bucket, and a support member having a first edge portion pivotally connected with the base member, and a remote edge portion containing a semi-circular recess. The support member is pivotally operable from a horizontal position toward a clamping position above the base portion, whereupon the wall of the semi-circular recess is brought into clamping engagement with the outer circumferential wall surface of the bucket.
2. Description of Related Art
Various types of devices have been proposed in the patented prior art for stabilizing a bucket during the stirring and mixing of the viscous contents thereof, such as joint compound, coatings, sealers and the like. In each of the patents to Kennard U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,208, and Foster U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,915, and in the Forshee et al Published Application No. US 2005/0045780, the bucket to be stirred is inserted into an opening contained in a support device upon which the user stands. In the Zagorsky Published Patent Application No. US 2004/0021043, the planar clamping device contains an opening that receives the bucket, and clip and chain means support the planar member at an angle from the top edge of the bucket. In the Lytle U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,184, the bucket to be mixed is supported on a base that includes a plurality of sections that are adjustable to correspond with the size of the bucket, together with at least one swing member that is biased by spring means toward an open position relative to the base, and upon which the user stands. In the Durand U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,001, a unitary tubular container holder slips concentrically downwardly over the bucket to be stirred, and a pair of outwardly extending foot portions are provided upon which the user stands to steady the bucket.
These known devices are relatively complex, require a large number of parts, and are expensive to produce. The present invention was developed to provide a simple two-part light-weight inexpensive bucket stabilizing device that includes only a single base member and a single pivotally-connected clamping member.